1–What’s the name of your latest release?  THE GENTLEMAN SPY, book two in the Serendipity & Secrets series released in July, and in just a few more days, I have a novella releasing in the Joy to the World Collection that will also be part of the Serendipity & Secrets ‘universe.’ 2–What is it about?  The Gentleman Spy is about Lady Charlotte and His Grace, Marcus, The Duke of Haverly. Marcus needs a wife to maintain his cover as a spy for the Crown, and Charlotte is looking for a way out of her dysfunctional family’s home.  They enter into a not-so-convenient marriage, while Marcus tries to keep his clandestine work a secret, and Charlotte tries to understand the complex man she’s married. He’s chasing assassins, and she’s chasing him! 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Crusader. Charlotte has a strong sense of justices, and she is determined to right the wrongs she encounters. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He’s a cloak-and-dagger spy while also being a chivalrous, innately kind Regency Duke. He’s naïve about romantic relationships, and yet manages to make Charlotte fall in love with him with little effort. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to…

If you ask an author what they want out of their writing career, you will most likely hear something about making a bestseller list, royalties, or five-star reviews. And, of course, we do want those. But there are a few other things we strive to accomplish that we don’t always talk about, because while they make our hearts flutter, they may sound a bit. . . sadistic. Evil Secret #1: We want to make people cry. Not in a bad way. But in that, you care so much for our characters you feel for them, kind of way. We want readers to gasp, laugh, and yes, cry with our characters. Tears of happiness at the end are preferred, but if there are a few misty eyes when our heroes face their darkest moments, we enjoy knowing that as well. And even if we apologize for making you weep, secretly we are delighting in the knowledge that you’ve lost yourself in our story to the point of tears. We triumph in success at your distress. Evil Secret #2: We want to leave you dazed and overwhelmed. Tell us how shaken you were by our storylines and scenes, and we’ll offer our…

Our poodle-mix, Houdini, loves his stuffed animal friends. He takes very good care of them, gently gnawing them and periodically arranging them decoratively on our bed or couch. When we adopted our chihuahua-mix, Sheba, she acted like she’d never seen a toy, and her instinct was to grab those stuffed animals and shred them. Her attack on his toys was very distressing for Houdini. He would circle, faster and faster, when she was destroying a toy, working himself into a frenzy. After the destruction, he would lie next to the pieces looking quite mournful. Then, suddenly, Sheba stopped destroying the stuffed animals. To this day, I don’t know what happened between them, but Sheba became blind to the stuffed animals. She acts like they don’t exist. I like to believe that as Houdini and Sheba developed their bond, she became aware that her actions distressed him and decided to stop. Now, Houdini keeps his collection of stuffed friends in good repair. If you come to visit, he’ll show them to you one at a time. Sometimes, guests think he wants to play tug-o-war. He does not. He merely likes to have others admire his collection. Excerpt from Tail for Two:…

Fall in Texas is the perfect time of year to enjoy cooler weather. At Twin Oaks Ranch, that means more than fun campfires, cookouts, trail rides, and family get-togethers. It’s time to take stock of the ranch after summer growth in the pastures, as well as damage to trees and bushes by high winds and storms. This year there was quite a bit of clean-up on my agenda after a wild–weather-wise–spring and summer. What to do? Fortunately, my cowboy neighbors are always ready to lend a helping hand, so I called on them. As we worked on the ranch, I took photographs to show readers how art imitates life in my cowboy firefighter novels. Photo 1: Zander wears a harness that is a potential life-saver. If a line breaks, the harness will keep him from falling to the ground. He climbed up a shade elm that had been damaged by straight-line winds. He cut out the limbs, but he saved the trunk. We expect to see new tree growth appear in the spring. That will be a happy day for us all. Photo 2: Rod can wield a chainsaw with exact precision. In this case, thick blackberry vines had grown…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Joanne Kennedy! Writes: I write light contemporary Western romance set in small Wyoming towns and on ranches like the ones that surround my home. My authentic working cowboys are challenged by women who are fish-out-of-water that absolutely refuse to get back in the bucket. My secondary characters range from cranky old men to schoolteachers to kids of all kinds. Happily ever after doesn’t come easy in my books, but the rougher the road, the better the story–and the more you discover about what really matters in life. About: I live in a secret hideout on the wild edge of Wyoming, an hour away from everything. Much as I love my mountain sanctuary, I’m glad I have a Facebook page (Joanne Kennedy Books) where I can meet readers and share photos of my hiking adventures with our three dogs. There are three cats, too; I have no idea how I ended up with that many pets, but they love starring in my books. I’m crazy in love with…

When Derrick picked Genie up at TyTyler’s house, she appeared to be shy. He figured she was embarrassed to be sneaking around when she was a grown woman, but she was living in her father’s house, and he seemed to be less than enthusiastic about the budding relationship. He hoped to be able to show Genie that he was proud to be seen with her and wanted to deepen their ties. “You’re sure you want to keep Angelique tonight?” she asked Leah. “Of course. Go on now. You deserve a night out.” Leah made shooing motions with her hands. When Derrick handed her up into his truck, he assured her that he would bring her back to TyTyler and Leah’s house whenever she wanted. Genie enjoyed the beautiful countryside as they drove toward Langston. The moon was just rising and it cast a glow on the snowy scenery. There must have been a million stars strewn across the night sky, and all of them were twinkling for her pleasure. “Beautiful night,” she said. He glanced at here and reached for her hand, placing it on his thigh. “Not nearly as beautiful as you are tonight.” A flush of warmth filled…

Chapter One A scorching heat wave blanketed the West Coast, bringing with it record temperatures, rolling blackouts, and a general feeling of malaise that infected everyone. A fast-moving Mexican monsoon, however, was now gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico, steaming up the California coast accompanied by gale force winds and heavy rain. It would most likely reach the township of Freedom by late afternoon. I sat staring out the office window, elated that the storm would finally end the stultifying heat, but also apprehensive of the possible havoc it might wreak. I was locked in a debate with myself as to whether I would order a takeout meatball-and-onion pizza from Larry’s or the kung pao chicken from Tsai’s when I noticed a late-model green Toyota Camry pull up in front of the County Courthouse. I watched as a middle-aged woman emerged, looked around, then headed inside. After a few moments, I heard Sheriff ’s Deputy Johnny Kennerly talking with the woman. Then he appeared in my doorway and stood there, fanning himself with a legal-size yellow pad. “There’s a Rosalita Gonzalez here to see you.” I swiveled my chair around to face him. “What about?” “You mean what does…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? For Letter or Worse, the second installment in my Stationery Shop series. Readers need not have read book 1, Last Pen Standing, to dive in! And fun fact: this is my 20th cozy mystery, releasing in 2020! So I’m extra pleased to be here on Fresh Fiction answering these 20 questions. 2–What is it about? For Letter or Worse follows Delta Douglas, co-owner of stationery shop WANTED in Tundish, Montana. Delta is excited to host a 3D cardmaking workshop for the birthday of former model Lena Laroy, but when Lena is threatened during the party and a dead body turns up, Delta must engage her Paper Posse crafting friends and wildlife guide Jonas with his former K9 Spud to weed through the clues and catch the killer. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)? Just one word?! Hmmm. . . Energetic! 4–What makes your story relatable? Delta recently moved to Tundish and has to settle in her new town, learn the ropes of running her own business, make new friends and figure out if her relationship with Jonas is taking a romantic turn. Her struggles and dilemmas, her setbacks and victories as she…

Hi! My name is Denise Swanson and I’m really excited to participate in this fun challenge!  My newest mystery, WINNER CAKE ALL, is the third book in my Chef-to-Go series.  This series is perfect for readers of culinary cozy mysteries and small-town cozy mysteries. Dani Sloan will have to solve the murder of a bride to clear her almost-boyfriend’s name. Once again, it looks like Dani will get a slice of the action. . . In the small town of Normalton, IL, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for business owner Dani Sloan to cater big-ticket events. But that’s about to change–a client named Yvette Joubert is marrying Franklin Whittaker, the richest guy around, and they want Dani to cater their engagement party! The swanky event is the perfect opportunity to put Dani on the map for wealthier clients. But when a storm hits the party after guests arrive, it becomes clear that more than the dinner is ruined: Yvette is found dead beneath the marquee. Is her death a tragic accident, or a perfectly orchestrated murder? Then the case gets even juicier–it turns out that Yvette’s ex-husband is Spencer Drake, Dani’s almost-boyfriend, and the police start circling. Now Dani…

Everyone needs a little charm in their life. Whether it comes from grandma, the old man next door, or a best friend, it will never be turned away. It’s what makes the cozy genre welcome on any reading list. Today’s feature is full of delightful Southern charm wrapped in lovable characters, recipes and a few grisly crime scenes–the perfect go-to ingredients when a reader needs a break from the real world. And don’t worry, Kate Young just keeps on giving after the last page, because then it’ll be time to rush into the kitchen and whip up some of her fabulous goodies!  Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Kate! Kate: Thanks so much for having me. I’m thrilled to be here.  In May you released your second Marygene Brown Mystery, Southern Sass and a Crispy Corpse, which is set the adorable island community of Peach Cove Georgia. Is there a real Peach Cove that you’ve modeled your island after? Peach Cove is loosely based on and inspired by both Seaside, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. I took the small community feel of Seaside and combined it with the old southern roots of Savannah.  I love that Marygene’s mother haunts her–don’t all parents leave…